Federal Member for Newcastle

PLEA TO PROTECT OUR OCEANS

Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon has officially launched a community campaign to protect Australia’s marine conservation parks in Federal Parliament this week.

Ms Claydon told the Parliament that the Turnbull Government’s new Management Plan “gutted Australia's precious protected marine parks in one of the most savage acts of environmental vandalism you can imagine.”

“No government anywhere in the world has ever removed this much area from conservation on land or sea,” Ms Claydon said.

“The more pristine the area, the more savage the changes are. The Coral Sea has gone from being the jewel in the crown of the Commonwealth marine parks, protecting the eastern side of the Great Barrier Reef, to being now a haven for long-lining and trawling.”

Ms Claydon said recreational fishers had also lost the largest recreational-only fishing area in the world.